Undetermined Destiny
by Keltaline
Summary: A story about the undetermined destiny of Keltaline Saffur of Whitehorn. She has many adventures, friends, and more.
1. Meet Keltaline

[8-12-03: Well you guys, this is my first ever fan fic. It's not _too_ much of a start, but trust me, it'll get a LOT more interesting. I promise :) I'm sort of using Sulia's format (she leaves notes at the beginning and ending of the chapters). The Tortall Universe and Alanna and Keladry are copyrighted and belong to Tamora Pierce. I DO NOT own them. Hope you enjoy!]

It was early in the morning during Mid-Winter. A woman's moans and yells could be heard all throughout a family's manor in Whitehorn. In one of the rooms lay the distressed woman on a large, cushioned bed. At her feet was a mid-wife, and at her side was her husband.

"Honey...? A-Are you o-okay?" Lord Burton asked his wife, who, at the moment, was squeezing the life out of his hand. The normally confident man was sweating profusely, and was shocked at how suddenly his wife, a sweet, innocent, loving creature, had turned into a beast, just by going through labor.

"Do I _look_ like I'm okay!? I'm having a baby for Mithros' sake, and you ask if I'm OKAY?!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" exclaimed a very red-faced, sweaty, plump woman name Christamime.

"Well sor_ry_," muttered Burton, under his breath.

"Did you say some--"

"Okay, I see it, give me a nice big push...now!" shouted the mid-wife. "That's it, that's it, just a little more, annnd..." A wailing baby exited its mother. The mid-wife cleaned it up, and the baby soon stopped crying. She wrapped it in a small bed sheet and said kindly, "It's a girl."

Lady Christamime, her eyes overflowing with tears of joy, pulled back her dark, ruby red hair and held out her arms to accept her child. Her husband, whose eyes, too, were brimming with tears, whispered,

"What shall we name her?" His wife, after thinking for only a moment, whispered back,

"Keltaline. We shall name her Keltaline Saffur of Whitehorn." With that said, Christamime handed her daughter to Burton, laid back down on her bed, and drifted off to sleep. Lord Burton, spotting a rocking chair in a corner of the room, dragged it over next to his wife's bed and sat down. He cradled Keltaline in his arms, gently rocking back and forth in the chair. Looking into her big, comforting, forest green eyes, he sang a song quietly until her breathing slowed and she was asleep.

__

~Daughter, don't ever lose faith in yourself;

Be strong, believe, and you will do well;

Always remember that your mother and I,

Will forever love you...~

~~~~~

__

Fifteen Years Later...

"Motherrr," Kelty whined slightly, "when are we stopping for the night? My dress is making me _really_ hot and uncomfortable." The tall girl, almost five-foot-eleven, figured they really should be stopping soon because the sun was beginning to set. They certainly needed light to set up their camp for the night, didn't they? She pushed her band out of her eyes, and put the rest of her wavy, medium brown hair behind her ears. Kel's hair came just below her shoulders, and though it got hot in the summer, she loved that she could do so many styles with it. Kel's mother turned her head to face Kel. Lady Christamime's eyes, the same as Kel's, bore into her daughter.

"Keltaline, for the last time, I don't know. Go ask your father for once," she said calmly. But just as Kel turned away from her mother and got her horse Lighthert, a tan stallion with white "boots" and a white stripe down his forehead, to trot forward towards her father, her mother beckoned her.

"Keltaline." Kel turned back to face her mother. "Why can't she ever call me Kelty, or Kel, like everyone else?" she thought.

"Yes, Mother?" Kelty question. Sternly, her mother replied.

"I want to hear no more complaining for the rest of this trip. Do you understand?" Kelty's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Yes, Mother." Christamime smiled.

"Good. Now go and talk to your father. See if you can convince him to stop soon and set up camp for the night." There was a twinkle in the Lady's eyes. Kelty grinned.

"Sure thing, Mother," was the last thing Kel said before she made her way to the head of the group, where her father rode. It didn't take very long because the Saffurs had brought very few servants with them on their journey, so there weren't many people to ride through. Lord Burton heard someone ride up beside him, so he turned his head to welcome the individual. When he saw his daughter, so mature for her fifteen years, he smiled and spoke.

"Hello, Kel."

"Hey Dad. Listen, Mother and I were wondering--"

"When we're stopping. Yes, I know, we've traveled a lot today. We've gotten a nice start though." Burton stated, while pulling his horse to a stop. Upon seeing that, everyone else followed suit. Turning to everyone, he spoke,

"Alright everybody, time to make camp for the night." The Saffurs and their servants dismounted and went to work setting up their temporary home.

~~~~~

Curled up under her silk sheets, Kel looked up at the top of her tent as various thoughts ran through her head. "I wish Dad would've let me sleep outside, under the stars. I suppose it is a little more dangerous though, and a tad colder out there. I hope Lighthert is okay, since he's tied to a tree at the edge of the forest. I wonder how many days we have left until we reach Irontown..." She shook off a bad feeling she was starting to get and nodded off to sleep.

The Saffurs were traveling to Irontown in order to visit some of their close friends for a couple months. Lord Burton had decided to make the trip now, before Mid-Winter came and the roads were covered in snow. They would be staying at the Trisant's manor, however, Kel wasn't very excited about that. The last time she had seen the Trisants, their son Arren, who was four years older than Kel, teased her about being slightly overweight, among other things. Now, though, Kel was able to hide her feelings extremely well, especially when conversations turned to weight, clothing sizes, or herself. 

She wasn't very gorgeous, nor was she ugly. She was actually quite cute, however, no boy had ever expressed any interest in her. She could care less, though; she had better things to do. Plus, she had learned a lot since the last time she had seen Arren. Thanks to the boys in her town, Kel learned how to successfully pickpocket, and she learned various defensive and offensive fighting moves. Not to mention, after the successes of Sir Alanna of Olau and Trebond and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Keltaline's parents allowed her to take sword fighting lessons, at which she succeeded in.

Suddenly, a group of raging cries was heard. Kelty woke up and immediately ran outside her tent. Fire was everywhere! Wherever she looked, she saw Scanrans and servants fighting, and unfortunately, the Scanrans were winning. Trying to stay calm, Kel took a deep breath, crept over to her parents tent, and snuck in. What she saw sent a strike of fear and anger through her. With that, Keltaline let out a blood curdling scream.

~~~~~

Author: Well, how was that? Please, please, pleeeeeeease give me some reviews. This is my first time doing it, so I need to know how I'm doing...*grin* I have a lot planned for Keltaline--one surprise after another :)

Thanks for the help to the following people:

LadyJenofConte (aka Ally, my editor)

MountainStream

Kes22

Rachel Lupin

CreamOfTheCake (aka Chrissy, who did some last minute editing when Ally wasn't online)


	2. Attack and Rescue

[8-13-03, in the wee hours of the morning: I have a comment/clarification to make--in my story I will sometimes call Keltaline, Kelty or **Kel**. Now please understand that when I call her Kel, or anything else for that matter, she is in no way related to the main character of the Protector of the Small Quartet, Keladry of Mindelan (created by Tamora Pierce). My character is completely different and is not to be confused with Tamora's Kel. Understand people? Keltaline Saffur of Whitehorn and Keladry of Mindelan **ARE NOT** the same, though the both will be call Kel. Got it? Ok, thank you :) Now, for the much awaited second chapter *dun duh DUN*]

The Scanran, who was standing above Kel's mother with his sword through her stomach, turned to face Kelty. He was clearly angered because his work had been interrupted. Kelty quickly picked up one of her father's swords that had been sprawled on the ground, making sure she had it in her right hand and not her left. Her left arm was very weak, and she was afraid she would be more susceptible to an attack if she fought with her bad arm. As the Scanran pulled his own sword out of Christamime, a very frightened Kel began to speak.

"W-Who are you? Why a-are you--"

"Shut the hell up, girl!" The short, fat, jewel covered Scanran retorted. The two began to fight. "I'm Kahlir, the leader of this fine group of men fighting now." Kelty snorted. "And your name, my dear, is...?"

"None of your business!" Kahlir struck forward, but missed Keltaline by a hair. As she twirled out of his reach, she accidentally stepped on her nightgown and fell backwards. She screamed as Kahlir grabbed part of her nightgown and pulled her close to him. His breath stank of alcohol and smoke, yet he was terribly sober. Whispering loudly, in his harsh, scratchy voice, Kahlir said,

"Funny thing dearie, your mother absolutely _begged_ me not to hurt 'Keltaline,' which, I assume, is _you_." Kel swallowed nervously and tried to figure out an escape. The Scanran Lord continued. "Hmm... you're not _too_ ugly lookin'; I'm sure the boys will love a new toy." The anger that had been bubbling up inside of her boiled, and she broke free of Kahlir's grasp. She spun around and her sword struck his cheek. 

"AHHH!" Kahlir screamed out in pain. The cut on his cheek was bleeding heavily. That would _definitely_ leave a mark. "Why you--" Keltaline dashed out of her parent's tent and disappeared into the crowd of fighters. She stopped to think and look around for a second, but that proved to be a bad idea when a Scanran stabbed Kel in her left shoulder, causing her to pass out and land near Lighthert.

Kahlir ran out of the tent and cursed. "Where did that bloody girl go?!" He thought to himself. He swore to get revenge on the girl who caused him a wound that would horribly disfigure his face. Hearing a horse in the distance, Kahlir decided that it was time to split, and he yelled. "Men! Time to leave!" The Scanrans grabbed some remaining goods that were scattered throughout the camp, stabbed some people a few extra times, jumped on their horses, and left.

~~~~~

The wind blew silently and steadily. It was a few hours before dawn and many hours after the attack. The fires were burning low as a stranger, clad in a large cloak as black as midnight and black combat boots approached the camp. He looked around and shook his head. "It looks like the work of Scanrans, though, from the looks of it, the servants seemed to put up a pretty decent fight," he thought. A quick search brought him to a shivering girl--a girl who had just gone into shock--dressed in a nightgown and bleeding heavily from her left shoulder.

"She's in shock already...?" The stranger mumbled to himself, "Damn! I'd better move fast..." He scooped her up in his arms, laid her on Lighthert, and easily swung himself onto his own dark colored horse. Being tall certainly had its advantages. Grabbing Lighthert's reins, the stranger galloped away. 

They were nearly halfway to their destination when Keltaline regained consciousness. She was awake for just a moment, long enough, though, to see the face of her rescuer. That face, however, would be all-to-soon forgotten.

The stranger approached a somewhat large, brown and white house with a lantern in the window. Smoke was coming out of the chimney, so there was probably a fire in the fireplace. It wouldn't be a surprise, though, since it was pretty chilly out. He tied the horses to the surrounding fence outside, put Kelty on his shoulder, and began to walk to the front door of the house. "Wait a second," he thought, "she isn't moving anymore. Oh crap!" The stranger sprinted to the house and banged on the door. An elderly looking man with a blue and white striped nightcap opened the door and held up a lamp to the late-night visitor's face.

"Virdem?" The old man asked, then squinted. "Corent Virdem, is that you?"

"Yes, Pender, it's me, now--"

"What's that on your shoulder?" Rhilent Pender, the town physician, questioned, as he put on his glasses. His face turned pale. "Oh dear. Come on now, come right away." Pointing at his worktable he said, "put her over there, hurry!" Corent rushed to the table and gently set Kelty on the table. The older man turned on a few lights and started examining the girl.

"Is she dead?" The nightrider asked.

"No."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know. Would you please wait in that room over there? I have to concentrate on my work. I want to do all I can to save this girl; she's lost a lot of blood," Rhilent said, and Corent walked to the other room. Kelty was normally very fair skinned, but because of the loss of blood, she looked like a ghost. Rhilent Pender took a deep breath and started his work.

Several hours later, Pender walked out of his workroom, took off his work gloves, and wiped the sweat off his brow. Virdem looked up from his seat.

"Well?" He asked.

"She'll be ok," the doctor replied. "I need to keep her here for a few days, though, so she can regain her strength."

"Ok, sounds good." The men talked a little more. Corent handed Rhilent a load of money, obviously more than the price of Kel's procedure. 

"Ok Rhilent, listen to me," said Corent. "While you were working I took the liberty of withdrawing the remainder of the Saffurs' money, which is the extra money that I gave you. Und--"

"But how did you get it without the--" Rhilent was interrupted himself.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you give the rest of the money to Lady Keltaline, understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Virdem continued.

"Under no circumstances may you tell Lady Keltaline who I am or what I did. You may answer any questions she has. As for the questions concerning me, though, all you tell her is that a stranger dropped her off here, and the bill was paid. Her horse is outside, and I want you to give her family's money to her. Okay?"

"Yes, Sir," said Pender. The two men walked to the door and turned to face each other once they reached it.

"Remember, you do not reveal my identity under any circumstances. Now don't forget anything I told you." Stated Virdem.

"No, of course not Sir, everything will go smoothly, I'm sure of it."

"Thank you Pender, I appreciate this," replied Corent. He walked out the door and said one final thing, "Gods all bless."

"Gods all bless," whispered Rhilent, as he watched his friend disappear into the fog, minutes before daybreak.

****

~~~~~

Days later, Kelty awoke in a somewhat small bed with a very fluffy comforter. Believing she was still in her tent, she turned onto her right side and used her left arm to pull the comforter up closer. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder, and she yelled.

"Ah! Oww! What the heck?" Kel sat up and rubbed her left shoulder, which, unfortunately, only caused her more pain. She lifted up her nightgown sleeve, turned her head back, and tried to look at her shoulder. What she saw surprised and scared her at the same time. On her left shoulder blade was a two-inch cut that had been stitched together. She gasped. Someone had already entered the room and opened the room's curtains to let the sunlight in. Kel jerked around, only causing her self even _more _pain, and she spotted an old man grinning.

"AH!!!" Exclaimed Kelty, pulling the comforter up around her. "Who are you?? I swear, if you try and hurt me I'll fight back!! I DO know how to fight!" The man progressed towards the bed. "Don't come any closer!!" Kel continued.

"Whoa, whoa, it's ok child, it's ok," said the old man. Kelty laughed at the man inwardly a little bit. With the way he put up his hands, he looked like he was a criminal surrendering. He continued speaking. "My name is Rhilent Pender, and I'm the town physician. A stranger dropped you off here last night. You had gone into shock as a result from losing so much blood from the wound of yours. Luckily, he got you here just in time, and I was able to save you. You've been sleeping for about three days."

"Oh...," replied the teenager. "Well, he certainly seems nice enough," she thought, "but how do I know if I can trust him or not?" She spoke again. "Where am I? Who was the stranger? How do I know I can trust you?" Rhilent put his hands into his pockets.

"You're in the upstairs of my home and office, occupying my spare bedroom. We're in Irontown because it was the closest place from where you were rescued. As for the stranger...I do not know. All he did was drop you off, pay your medical bill, give me your family's remaining money to pass on to you, and tie up your horse. I brought your horse around back, and you can see him from your window." Kelty mumbled a little.

"Gave him my family's money to give to me...wait--," she spoke louder. "How did a stranger get my family's remaining money??"

"Ah, I'm sorry, but that I do not know. As for how you know if you can trust me or not, I suppose you'll just have to. Do you have any other choice?" Pender smiled again, but this time Kelty saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. It was something that deemed him trustworthy. She grinned.  
  
"I guess I will." Her stomach grumbled, and she giggled. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"Sure do," the old man replied. "And how 'bout you tell me how you got that nasty cut on your shoulder while we eat a nice bowl of oatmeal for breakfast?" He pointed to some clothes in the corner. It was a pair of breeches, and a loose-fitting shirt. "There are some clothes for you to change into; you can keep them too. I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes. Rhilent smiled, walked out the door, and shut it behind him. Kelty got up and changed, taking extra care so that she didn't hurt herself _again_. Surprisingly, the clothes were very comfortable. "I should wear clothes like these more often," she thought to herself. As she used a brush that she found on the dresser and brushed out the tangles from her hair, another thought occurred to her.

"How _did_ I get that cut, and where in the world are my parents?

~~~~~

Author: Whaddya think? Ya know, I never realized how much time and work writing really took...but now I do, and I love it! *grin* Please, again, please give me reviews. Anything to make these better!

Special thanks to:

LadyJenofConte (aka Ally, my editor and grammar fixer)

CreamOfTheCake (aka Chrissy)

TheBlindAssassin (aka Min, a super great unofficial editor who helped improve and clarify some lines)

And a side note: all three of the above are awesome writers :)


	3. Realizations

[8-19-03: I've decided that thoughts will now be in _italics_. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to read and write, so...yeah... :) Flashbacks/memories, as long as they're not _very_ long, are also in _italics_]

Kelty finished up in her temporary room, shut the door, and proceeded down the staircase that lay before her. Upon entering the room at the bottom of the stairs, Rhilent Pender called out.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Following the sound of the man's voice, Kelty found herself in a quaint little room. It had an off-white colored tile floor with golden swirls on it, brown cabinets, two small sinks, and a wooden table with four wooden chairs. The sun shined through the window casting rays of light throughout the room. As Kelty walked through one of them, she grinned as she felt the heat on her face. Walking over to Rhilent, she spoke.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"No, no, my dear, please sit down and make yourself comfortable." Rhilent replied. He proceeded to serve Kelty a steaming bowl of oatmeal and a piece of toast with grape jelly on it. "Milk or orange juice?"

"Orange juice please," said Kelty as she started eating. Within minutes, she had finished her oatmeal. _Wow, I didn't realize I was so hungry. Wait--oh, of course I'm hungry; I slept for almost three days!_ "Umm..." Pender walked over to Kel and poured some more food into her bowl. He smiled. "Thanks." The man sat down opposite of Kelty at the table.

"So," he began, "where are you from Lady Keltaline, and what in Mithros' name happened to your shoulder?"

"I'm from Whitehorn. My parents and I were traveling here, to Irontown, in order to visit some," Kel made a face, "friends."

"I take it you aren't very excited to see them. May I inquire as to why not? They are friends, as you just said, no?"

"Well yeah, I guess... they're more my parent's friends though. Actually, they all used to go to school together. But their son? Well...their son is..." the bright-eyed, round-faced teenager trailed off, but then began to rant, "a rude, egotistical, piece of crap!" Pender raised his eyebrows.

"Well then..."

"Plus, he's just plain _mean_."

"I see now why you aren't very happy to be seeing them. And what about your cut? How did you get injured?"

"You know," Kelty replied, "I don't really remem--" Voices went through her head as images played in her mind.

  
_~ She spun around and her sword struck his cheek. _

"AHHH!" Kahlir screamed out in pain. The cut on his cheek was bleeding heavily. That would definitely leave a mark. "Why you--" Keltaline dashed out of her parent's tent and disappeared into the crowd of fighters. She stopped to think and look around for a second, but that proved to be a bad idea when a Scanran stabbed Kel in her left shoulder.~

  
"No...no...," Kel started saying, beginning to get frantic, "that's impossible. How could they...? But my parents...what about my parents??" More memories flashed before her eyes.

  
_~ The Scanran, who was standing above Kel's mother with his sword through her stomach, turned to face Kelty. He was clearly angered because his work had been interrupted.~_

  
Unsuccessful at stopping them, tears flowed freely from Kelty's eyes. Unaccustomed to this kind of emotional display, Rhilent put his hand awkwardly on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm...so...sorry," she started saying, sobs interrupting her sentences, "I don't mean to get all...weepy on you...uh...oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I don't even know your name!"

"Rhilent Pender, at your service," he said, and gave a little chuckle. As the girl still shuddered from her crying, he realized that it probably wasn't the best time to be cracking jokes. Patting her shoulder, he encouraged Kel to tell him what happened. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down. Then she started to tell the friendly old man what happened.

"Well Mr. Pender--"

"Call me Rhilent."

"Ok. Well Rhilent, as you know, my family and I were traveling from Whitehorn to Irontown. When we camped for the first night, we awoke to a group of Scanrans attacking our camp. I ran into my parent's tent and I saw...I saw..." At this point, Kelty had to take another breath to calm herself. She continued. "I saw the Scanran leader, Kahlir, stab my mother, killing her. I don't even know what happened to my father. To sum the rest up, Kahlir saw me, we fought, I cut up his cheek, ran out of the tent, stopped to look around, and got stabbed by some Scanran. I guess I just passed out then. Next thing I knew I woke up here." 

Now it was Rhilent's turn to take a deep breath. _That must be hard, watching your mother get killed by filth--a scum that the world should be rid of._

"Wow, that must've been horrible for you." _What a stupid thing to say! She probably thinks I'm-- well--wait a second. What am I supposed to say anyway? It's not like I can really relate_. Kel mumbled in agreement. "What do you think you'll do now? I'm not trying to get rid of your or anything; you can stay here if you want, but your cut seems to be healing up pretty well, so you could leave today even . All I have to do is remove your stitches." Kelty had a thoughtful look on her face, so Pender continued. "I'm going to clean up, then go read in the living room. I've leave to you think for a little bit, so when you've decided on what you're going to do, let me know."

Kel started to consider her options. _Well, I can stay here for a little while, but I don't want to be rude. I should probably visit the Trisants and let them know what happened. I need to let the rest of my family know too. I can send a letter to them. Maybe I could find out if my relatives in Galla would allow me to live with them. Er...No way, I don't want to stay with them; it'd be pure torture and _incredibly_ boring. Well, I _am_ fifteen now...I could go off on my own...see what Destiny has planned for me. Hey, why not? It'll be an adventure, and it'll be fun! _Kelty thought a little more, then got up and walked to a connecting room, one that was furnished with a few chairs, a rug, a fireplace, and some windows. She approached Pender and started speaking.

"Ok, here's what I'm going to do. I think I should go back to our campsite and give my parents a proper burial...it's only right. I'll come back to Irontown, visit my parent's friends, then travel to...well, I'm not really sure where I'll go after that. Wherever the gods place me, I suppose." While she was talking, Pender got up, retrieved the girl's money, and gave it to her. "Rhilent, I thank you _so_ much for all your help and generosity. I'd like to pay you for these clothes that--"

"No, no, please Lady Keltaline, I'd very much appreciate it if you kept your money. Who knows, you may stumble into a situation where a little extra money will be needed."

"Are you sure you--"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now here are the clothes you arrived in," Pender said as her handed Kelty's clothes to her. "They're washed, and I got the blood stains out. Also, I figured you could use a bag to put some of your stuff in, when you travel." The five-foot-eleven girl bent down to give the older man a hug.

"Thank you so much. You are amazing Rhilent, and I really appreciate this."

"It's nothing my dear, really. Now be off! Go on your way! You don't want to lose anymore time." He smiled. Kel put her money and her clothes into her bag. As she packed it, she noticed that Rhilent had packed an extra pair of clothes too. _I should repay him for these someday. I'll send him some money after I'm on the road for a while_. Rhilent had gone around back, untied Lighthert, and brought him to Kelty. She mounted her horse.

"Again, thank you. I'll see you again someday," Keltaline said, smiling.

"I hope. Be careful out there Lady Keltaline, you never know what could be right around the corner. Mithros bless, child." And with that, Kelty rode off down the road, praying that she could make it back to camp in time to bury her parents and honor their deaths.

  
~~~~~

Author: Well, this chapter wasn't very long, but I'm working; I'm working. I still kinda feel like this is getting off to a slow start, but it should start improving soon. I /promise/ it'll start getting a lot more interesting, ok? And again, I really need reviews or emails. Trust me, ANYTHING is appreciated. School starts next week *eep* and my birthday is in *14* days! Whoo Hoo!

Thanks a max-a-million to:

Chrissy (editing, even when she doesn't really want to. Thanks!!)


	4. Memories

[8- -03: Thanks to Her Craziness, eliSabeth Janelle Ella Ali (*evil grin for Ali*), I'm working on improving my writing. She also made an important point. There would not have been any sinks or running water back in Kelty's time, therefore, in the previous chapter, please mentally change "sinks" to "water basins." I'm sorry there wasn't much of Rhilent either--sorry he's so _vague_...he'll come back later in the story, I promise =) I'm working on giving Kelty more character and emotions. Please let me know how I'm doing! *wink wink* Also, Lapis pointed out a mistake in chapter two--Kelty awakens days later, but then Rhilent said a stranger dropped her off the night before...oops! Sorry!]

Traveling at a steady pace atop Lighthert, Keltaline took her midday meal of bread, some cheese, and water while riding, in order to save time. She wanted to return to the campsite as quickly as possible. Looking down at her hands and short manicured nails with a solemn expression, memories from her childhood flooded back to her.

~~~~~

__

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

"Weeeeee!"

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

"Weeeeee!" A middle-aged man with jade colored eyes bounced five-year-old Keltaline on his knee. "Again, Daddy, again!"

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Kelty giggled and her father, Lord Burton Saffur of Whitehorn, laughed a hearty laugh. Daddy's laugh is like a big boom!_ she thought. Kelty always loved times like these. Daddy took time out of his busy day just to play with her. Whether it be spinning her around in the yard or a large room, bouncing her on his knee, or tickling her, Lord Burton's daughter always enjoyed the time spent with her father. As he bounced Keltaline again, Burton's wife, Lady Christamime walked in. With a sigh she began speaking to her husband._

"You know_ you shouldn't be playing with her like that. She's to learn about becoming a proper young lady soon!" Burton stopped bouncing his daughter in order to reply to his wife._

"Oh Christa, you know it does her no harm. Besides, she'll grow up and be too big for this in no time. If I remember correctly, your father used to play with you like this too. Hmm?" Lady Christamime tried to keep a straight face and glare at her husband. Unsuccessful at doing so, she broke out in a big grin and laughed with the Lord.

"Oh I suppose you're right," she replied, walking over to ruffle her husband's dark brown hair with auburn tones and to smile at her daughter. Kelty jumped off her father's lap, smiled and her mother, and impatiently tugged her father's hand.

"Daddy, come on! I want to fly!" she said, as her eyes got wide and dreamy-looking. She loved it when Daddy spun her around because she felt like she was flying, as free as a bird. Lord Burton got up out of his chair.

"Alright Kel, let's go. Where do you..."

~~~~~

Tears glistened in Kelty's eyes, though she smiled at the memory. She loved seeing her parents together. They were always so happy, and they never turned her away when she needed help. Kelty never doubted their love for her either. She _did _miss playing with her father though. They had continued their games until Kel was too heavy to be picked up. Her face flushed a bright red, and she searched for other memories.

~~~~~

_Kelty sat up, breathing hard, and drenched in sweat. She just had another treacherous nightmare about spiders. Spiders--the one thing she feared most of all. At the sight of one she screamed, and occasionally almost started crying._

"Mommy!" she yelled. Lady Christamime, clad in a flowing white nightgown, dashed into Kel's room, unaccompanied by her husband since he was in Corus doing business. Kelty sat up, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oooh Honey," Christamime cooed, "it's ok, nothing's going to hurt you. Mommy's here, don't worry." She spoke softly as she cradled Kel. "Was it another spider nightmare?" Her daughter nodded her head and sniffed. Christamime gently wiped the tears off her daughter's face and under her eyes, careful not to scratch Kel with her long, decorated, manicured fingernails. Rocking Kelty in her lap, Christamime began singing a lullaby.

  
~ Sleep my baby, nestled in your Mama's arms,  
And the Goddess above blesses you with her love,  
Safe from harm  
Sleep my baby, the Goddess keeps you from harm...~

  
_Within moments, Kelty was fast asleep. Her mother laid her down on her bed and tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, and departed to her own room._

  
~~~~~

  
Wetness overflowed from her eyes, and tears spilled down her cheeks. _I wish Mother was here now to wipe away my tears. She was such a loving person; always comforting me whenever I needed it._ If anybody were to look at Lady Keltaline now, they would see a painful sadness haunting her behind her forest green eyes. 

  
~~~~~

  
_"Put your dress on and come here! If I don't start doing your hair now, you'll be late for the party!" yelled Lady Christamime to her daughter. Eleven-year-old Lady Keltaline slid her soft baby blue and periwinkle dress over her head. This was Kel's favorite dress, and her parents had given it to her months earlier, during Mid-Winter. It was crafted from light materials, and it had a silver trim. The sleeves flowed out like a peasant top's, and Kelty's feet were hidden by the loose, flowing bounty of cloth. The dress had a low neckline, and it was fitted under the girl's chest. The top was decorated with little sequins. Overall, the dress was quite simple, but very beautiful. Kelty walked to her mother and sat down in front of her. _

"Oh Mother, I love this dress! Thank you so much; you're a goddess!"

"It was not a problem Honey," Christamime said, and smiled. "Besides, we knew you'd need it for a party sooner or later." Kelty was attending the party of her friend Aleesa. "Now I want you to be on your best behavior, and remember to keep that beautiful smile of yours on your face." Kelty's mother patted her daughter's head as she finished her hair. Kelty stood up and looked at herself in a mirror, shocked at what she saw. Her mother had French-braided some of her hair so that it looked like she was wearing a crown, or a halo resting on her head.

"Oh Mommy," Kelty whispered in awe, "I'm beautiful. I look like a princess." Lady Christamime laughed quietly, stood up, and stroked her daughter's hair.

"I know. Don't you ever forget that either." She smiled at her daughter. "Now, why don't you go show your father how pretty you look?" Kelty ran down the stairs, her mother calling after her, "Don't run Keltaline!" She proceeded into her father's workroom.

"Hi Daddy." Lord Burton turned around and a smile lit up his face.

"Kel...you look beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous." Kelty gave a sheepish grin. "Come here, let me get a good look at you. You look so pretty..."

  
~~~~~

Kel's vision was blurred so much that she couldn't see anything. She clambered off her horse and plopped to the ground, crying hard. _Nobody's around anyway, I can behave how I want. Mithros why? Why did you have to take my family from me?!? My parents were all I loved and you took them from me!_ Kelty picked up a rock and threw it as hard and as far as she could. She put her arms around Lighthert's neck and buried her face in her arms. Her sobs were uncontrollable.

"I want to die," Kelty cried out loud. Suddenly, a gloved hand settled on her shoulder and a man spoke.

"Well I don't see how _that_ would do any good."  
  
  
  
~~~~~

  
Thanks, love, and mooshes to: 

LadyJen (You catch it all!)

Alianne (Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank yoooooooooooooou *moosh*

Lapis (*grumble* stupid chat was deleted *grumble* You suggestions actually helped me! *beams*)

Chrissy (Time and time again you help---I really appreciate it)


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